After Kedra's signal, both Lionel and Naoya remained motionless, each gauging the other's skill in a tense standoff.
Eventually, once ten seconds had passed, Lionel took a step forward, placing his sword in a high guard and narrowing his stance.
Naoya remained hesitant to act, opting to present his bardiche's point in hopes of maintaining the advantage in reach that his weapon offered.
The two stood at a standstill for exactly six seconds before Naoya gathered enough courage to make the first strike. He briefly pulled his weapon back before making a quick sideways cut, targeting Lionel's undefended right side.
His opponent had predicted the obvious move, however, and quickly moved his sword to block the strike, shifting his body's weight to the right in order to maintain his stance.
Despite the fact that Lionel had anticipated the strike and reacted accordingly, the sheer weight of the impact was enough to send tremors through his arm. His surprise at the unexpected power being produced from his opponent's small frame was clearly visible in his eyes.
As the hornfolk pulled his weapon away and prepared another strike, Lionel quickly lunged forward, delivering a quick thrust aimed towards Naoya's sternum.
The swordsman was too close for the hornfolk to strike with the bardiche's blade, and his strike was rapidly encroaching.
With barely a second to react, Naoya quickly sidestepped the thrust, holding his weapon vertically to block a follow-up slash aimed at his neck.
The intense blows that had occurred in the span of mere seconds sparked cheers throughout the crowd as the fighters took up their initial stances once more and prepared for another exchange.
Lionel took the initiative in the second bout, dashing towards his opponent with no apparent concern for the weapon that was aimed at him.
In response to his reckless behavior, Naoya thrust his bardiche towards the swordsman's chest. In response, Lionel stepped to the left while lifting his right leg upward. Before the hornfolk could retract his weapon, he quickly brought his foot down onto the weapon's flat, pinning it to the ground.
His opponent was left defenseless. Lionel quickly slashed towards his head for an easy hit; however, Naoya had already let go of his weapon and ducked, quickly taking advantage of the swordsman's precarious positioning to knock him off balance, regaining control over his weapon.
Wanting to exploit the obvious opening, Naoya feigned a wide downwards slash into a quick sideways cut to Lionel's right side; his opponent had been successfully deceived by the initial attack, reacting by raising his sword upwards to block.
As the hornfolk suddenly shifted his weight and changed the direction of his attack, Lionel was too slow to move his sword. Engrossed in the fight, he attempted to move his arm in order to catch Naoya's weapon.
"Shit, I forgot!" Lionel exclaimed, smirking at his foolish mistake.
Unimpeded, the hornfolk's bardiche connected with Lionel's ribs, knocking him onto his left knee.
"Stop! The match is over; Naoya wins." Kedra proclaimed, waving her hands in the air to mark the match's end.
The field fell silent in acknowledgement. Naoya's talent had just been undoubtedly proven right in front of their eyes, and not a soul was willing to further shame themselves by heckling.
The stillness was, however, broken by a soldier's lone applause, which eventually grew into a roaring cheer.
Kedra walked to Naoya, who was still panting from the intense bout. She extended her hand toward him, putting on a smile.
"Good job; I knew you were worth my time."
The hornfolk hesitantly took her hand and gingerly shook it.
"I must refute my win, my lady. If Sir Lionel still had his right arm, there is no doubt in my mind that I would not have won."
"And yet, he doesn't have his right arm, and you just beat him; dealing in hypotheticals is pointless."
"But I hardly—no, you are right, I accept this victory."
"Good, and I'm sure you have no complaints, do you, Lionel?" Kedra asked.
"None at all; my loss was solely due to my own mistakes and my opponent's skill."
"And there you have it; through your duel, you've shown me your mastery over your weapon, along with your worth." Kedra announced.
"Now, in five days, I will be leaving this residence and heading towards the capital's royal academy. I already have three competent servants but only one guard at my side; if you'd like, you could be the second." She added.
Shocked whispers immediately began spreading throughout the crowd.
Naoya was the most surprised of all, blankly staring at Kedra with wide eyes.
"Don't make me wait forever for your response, Naoya."
"Ah, um, yes, I mean—it would be a great honor to serve you, my lady." He quickly replied.
"Then that's that. I will assign Lionel to accompany you in training to ensure that you are treated with respect befitting one of my servants. Prepare yourself; we will leave in five days. Understood?"
"Yes, my lady." Naoya answered.
Satisfied, Kedra stepped away from the field, leaving both Naoya and Lionel by themselves, ordering them to continue training.
Moving through the garden and back into the residence, Kedra stopped a nearby maid and asked her for directions to Rae's room.
"Lord Rae's room is on the western wing's second floor, near the end of the hallway, my lady."
Thanking the maid, Kedra made her way to the second floor and marched down the western wing's long hall, passing by a few doors along the way.
As her destination grew nearer, she felt a sudden feeling of displeasure well up within herself. Stopping to check her surroundings, she heard a nearby door open, followed by the sound of heels walking along the tiled floor.
"Why, if it isn't the bastard child, come to sully the mood with your wretched stench?" The voice came from behind Kedra, who quickly realized it belonged to her stepmother.
'What the fuck did she just say to me?'